A Sutton Coldfield man who was arrested after failing to surrender to court has been convicted of benefit fraud costing the taxpayer £11,021.
Eduardo Olguin, 43, of Carhampton Road was sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months at Birmingham Magistrates Court yesterday (October 12), following a joint investigation by Birmingham City Council and Jobcentre Plus.
He pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Social Security Administration Act after it emerged that he had worked for three different employers despite claiming to be unemployed.
Olguin initially appeared before Magistrates on October 1 after he was arrested by the police. A warrant for his arrest had been issued on September 9 when he failed to surrender to the court.
As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and £400 in costs. In line with the council’s standard policy, all illegally claimed monies will also be pursued to uphold the dignity of the benefits system.
Cllr Randal Brew, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “These are tough times for everyone but committing benefit fraud cannot be condoned.
“Since April this year we’ve taken legal action against 384 fraudsters, and this case demonstrates how committed we are to driving down levels of benefit fraud across the city.
“We want people to have their rightful entitlement to benefit but those committing fraud – including those who fail to appear as scheduled before the courts – will be rooted out, as they were in this instance.”
Anyone who suspects someone of committing benefit fraud can call the City Council Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0121 303 9990.
All calls are confidential and callers can remain anonymous if they wish. Benefit fraud can also be reported online. To find out more information visit: www.birmingham.gov.uk/bhamaudit
ENDS
For more information call Kris Kowalewski on 0121 303 3621
Related posts:
